


Calm Grace

by Josh89



Series: NYC Grace [5]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Case Fic, Co-workers, Crime Fighting, Crimes & Criminals, Detectives, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Major Character(s), Major Original Character(s), Minor Character(s), Original Character Death(s), Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-15 00:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21025094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh89/pseuds/Josh89
Summary: The investigation into the death of Jennifer Reynolds deepens, and Tobias gets an unexpected guest.





	Calm Grace

“Miss Osborne?” Tobias queried gently as he sat down opposite the red-haired woman who, though around six years older, reminded him of the woman he had met only the night before.  
The woman glanced up, nodding to the detective. “Please, call me Karen”.  
“Of course”  
Tobias placed a file on the small table between them and flicked it open, tapping one finger against the picture of Jennifer Reynolds that lay within. “Is this your roommate?” he queried.  
Karen’s breath hitched for a second, and she nodded slightly. “Yes. Yes, that’s her. How… How did it happen?”  
“She was stabbed to death in an alleyway not far from here. Apparently she left work early because she had to meet with a man named Jason Gardner. Did she ever mention him before?”  
Karen looked thoughtful for a moment. “The name does ring a bell… Yes, she did mention him a couple of times. Apparently he’s the curator of The Gardner Gallery”  
“Ah, yes. I remember my parents talking about the opening party of that place a few years ago. Actually, my mother even made a comment about his last name reminding her of a girl they went to summer camp with as teens” Tobias commented.  
Aaron coughed quietly, and both his partner and the red-haired woman across from them looked at him. “Fascinating as all of this may be, let’s try to stick to the topic at hand here, shall we? Do you have any idea why your roommate would be meeting with Jason Gardner?”  
“She said that he had asked her to pick up some sort of package for him. She never specified what the package was; just that it was something important to him and that he had requested that she pick it up from a friend and deliver it to him. That’s about all I know”.  
Tobias scribbled some notes on the paper in front of him. “Very informative, thank you. We only have a couple more questions that need to be asked”.  
Karen nodded. “Of course, anything to help catch the bastard that did this. What do you need to know?”  
“Was Ms. Reynolds seeing anyone?”  
“No, she was not”.  
Tobias could tell she was telling the truth. As a detective, it was easy for him to tell when people were lying. Or at least not telling him the whole truth. “Two more questions, Karen. And then you can go. Where were you this morning between midnight and 1 am?”  
“You’re asking for my alibi? You don’t really think I’d do… something like that to my best friend, do you?”  
Tobias shook his head, and his voice was soft when he spoke again. “No, I don’t. We just have to be absolutely certain, that’s all”.  
“Fine. Between midnight and 1 am this morning I was at Tivondra. I got there just before midnight after my shift ended at 11:30, and I didn’t leave until three when I took a taxi home”.  
“Is there anyone who we can speak to about confirming this?” Aaron queried.  
“My ex-boyfriend, Harrison Burke. He works at Tivondra as a bartender, his shift is from just before midnight to just after three in the morning, so he was still working when I left. Also, the security cameras for my building would have caught me getting out of the cab just after 3, so you can check those too”.  
Tobias made a note of this. “Okay. I just have one more question”.  
“Ask away”.  
“When was the last time you saw Jennifer?”  
“She left the hospital at about 10:30 last night, an hour before our shift ended. She said she had an errand to run, asked me to cover for her, and said that she’d be back at the apartment by the time I got up, if not before then”.  
“And when she said an errand, she was referring to the package that she had to deliver to Mr. Gardner, right?” Aaron queried.  
“That is correct”.  
Tobias stood, shaking the older woman’s hand. “That’s all we need to know for now. Thank you for coming in, Ms. Osborne. We’ll call if anything comes up”.  
“I’m glad I could be of assistance. Please, catch the bastard who did this”.  
Aaron nodded. “We will. And we will make them pay”.  
Satisfied, Karen smiled slightly, before turning and leaving the room, Aaron and Tobias following her. “Aaron, get in touch with Harrison Burke. And see if you can get the security camera footage from Karen Osborne’s building. I want her alibi confirmed as soon as possible” Tobias instructed.  
Tobias’s partner nodded. “What about Tivondra’s cameras? A place like that is bound to have them, and, if we can get our hands on the security camera footage from the time that she said she was there, then that will just help us to confirm her alibi”.  
“Good idea. Get to work then. I’ll update the Captain on what we have so far”.  
“Of course”.  
As Aaron walked away in the direction of his desk, a uniformed officer walked over to Tobias. “Detective?”  
“Officer Baxter. What can I do for you?”  
The younger woman looked nervous. “There’s a woman waiting at your desk for you. I thought you might like to know”.  
“What does this woman look like?” Tobias queried.  
“Tall, slender, relatively gorgeous. More or less the same age as me. Sapphire pendant around her neck, watch on her right arm. Lightly tanned skin, looks a bit like Lily Potter”.  
“Oh. Yeah, I know her. Thanks for letting me know”.  
“You’re most welcome, Detective”.  
She ran off towards where the other officers were waiting, and Tobias strode back to his desk, quickly spotting the young woman sitting calmly in a chair next to it. “Monica?”  
The woman looked up, smiling as she saw him. “Hi, Tobias”.  
The detective looked puzzled. “What are you doing here?”  
“I was checking out a bookstore in the area, thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to get breakfast with me. I know this great little café not too far from here, and I imagine your Captain wouldn’t mind if you take a quick break…”  
Tobias grinned slightly. “I’ll go ask him then”.  
He disappeared down the hallway that led to the Captain’s office, emerging five minutes later, smiling. Quickly walking back to his desk, he pocketed his phone as Monica stood, offering her his hand. “Shall we go, then?”  
She smiled, gratefully accepting his hand. As they headed for the elevator, she seemed to unconsciously shift, leaning slightly more into him. “We shall”.


End file.
